48 Fun Facts About Scrooged

Who directed Scrooged (1988)?

Richard Donner, director of Superman and The Goonies, directed Scrooged between Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 2.

What is the job of Bill Murray's character in Scrooged?

Frank Cross is a ruthless television network president, staging a live Christmas Eve broadcast of A Christmas Carol called 'Scrooge'.

Who plays Herman, the homeless man Frank meets at Claire's shelter?

Michael J. Pollard, Oscar-nominated for Bonnie and Clyde, plays Herman, the homeless man who later freezes to death under the street.

Which two former Saturday Night Live writers wrote the Scrooged screenplay?

Mitch Glazer and Michael O'Donoghue, both SNL alumni, wrote Scrooged; O'Donoghue publicly disowned the finished film.

How long a break from leading film roles did Bill Murray take before Scrooged?

Murray stayed away from starring roles for four years after 1984, studying in Paris and living in New York's Hudson Valley before Scrooged.

How much was Bill Murray paid for Scrooged?

Murray received $6 million for Scrooged; producer Art Linson argued that his long absence from the screen had only increased his drawing power.

What was Scrooged's production budget?

Scrooged cost about $32 million to make, shot from late 1987 into early 1988 mostly on Hollywood sound stages.

How did Frank's mentor Lew Hayward, the film's Marley figure, die?

Lew Hayward died of a heart attack while golfing; John Forsythe plays his decaying corpse, which warns Frank of the ghosts to come.

In Scrooged, the Ghost of Christmas Past appears in what form?

The Ghost of Christmas Past is a chain-smoking New York taxi driver who hauls Frank back through his childhood; Sam Kinison had been considered for the part.

Which musician plays the Ghost of Christmas Past in Scrooged?

David Johansen, the New York Dolls frontman and a friend of Murray's, plays the ghost; bandmate Arthur Kane was reportedly enraged by how big the part was.

Carol Kane's Ghost of Christmas Present is a violent fairy who hits Frank with what household appliance?

Carol Kane's fairy whacks Frank with a toaster among other blows; she really did hurt Murray, once tearing the inside of his lip.

What does young Frank's father give him as a Christmas present in the flashback?

Young Frank's father Earl hands him a package of veal for Christmas instead of the toy train he wanted, a scene the ghost forces Frank to relive.

Who plays Claire Phillips, Frank's ex-girlfriend who runs a homeless shelter?

Karen Allen, of Raiders of the Lost Ark, plays Claire Phillips; the Christmas Future vision shows Claire hardened into a cold socialite after taking Frank's advice.

Which screen legend plays Preston Rhinelander, the IBC boss who wants programming that appeals to pets?

Robert Mitchum, the star of The Night of the Hunter, plays Preston Rhinelander, the boss who muses that cats and dogs could be a TV audience.

Who plays Grace Cooley, Frank's loyal assistant, in Scrooged?

Alfre Woodard plays Grace Cooley, the assistant Frank overworks on Christmas Eve; her son Calvin has not spoken since his father died.

What are the first words the mute boy Calvin says at the end of Scrooged?

Calvin finally speaks Tiny Tim's line, 'God bless us, everyone', as the film ends; Nicholas Phillips plays him.

Which song does Frank lead the cast and audience in singing at the end of the film?

Frank leads everyone in 'Put a Little Love in Your Heart', Jackie DeShannon's 1969 hit, which a new duet version revived for the closing credits.

Which two singers recorded the closing-credits single from Scrooged that reached No. 9 in January 1989?

Annie Lennox and Al Green's duet from Scrooged reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went top 30 in the UK.

How many of Bill Murray's real brothers appear in Scrooged?

Three Murray brothers appear: Brian Doyle-Murray as Frank's father, John Murray as his brother James, and Joel Murray as a party guest.

In Scrooged's promo 'The Night the Reindeer Died', which TV action star saves Santa with a minigun?

Lee Majors, star of The Fall Guy, appears as himself in 'The Night the Reindeer Died', mowing down terrorists with a minigun to save Santa.

Which comedian plays Scrooge in IBC's live broadcast within the film?

Buddy Hackett plays Scrooge in IBC's live 'Scrooge' broadcast, grumbling through the Dickens role while the real story unfolds backstage.

Which Olympic gymnast plays Tiny Tim in the broadcast-within-the-film?

Mary Lou Retton, the 1984 Olympic all-around champion, plays Tiny Tim, tossing away the crutch to perform a tumbling pass.

Which jazz great appears as a street musician in Scrooged?

Miles Davis plays a street musician alongside Paul Shaffer, David Sanborn and Larry Carlton; Frank tells the band to get a job.

Which dance troupe made its final appearance in Scrooged?

The Solid Gold Dancers, whose syndicated show had ended earlier in 1988, perform in IBC's Christmas Carol broadcast in what proved their final appearance.

To what year does the Ghost of Christmas Past first take Frank, to see his neglected childhood?

The cab first drops Frank in 1955, where his young self escapes a dismissive father through television; later stops visit 1968 and 1971.

Where does the Ghost of Christmas Present abandon Frank, next to Herman's frozen body?

The ghost drops Frank into a utility space under a sidewalk, where Herman, the homeless man Frank mocked at Claire's shelter, has frozen to death.

In the future the Ghost of Christmas Future shows Frank, what has happened to Calvin?

Frank also sees his own cremation, attended only by his brother and sister-in-law, and ends up inside the burning coffin before snapping back to the elevator.

How is Frank's body dealt with in the vision of his own funeral?

Frank is cremated in the vision; he finds himself inside the coffin as the flames close in, with only his brother James and sister-in-law Wendie attending.

What gift does Frank have sent to his brother James for Christmas?

Frank's cheap gift for most of his list, his own brother included, is a bath towel, while the network's big shots receive VCRs.

What does Frank insist the mice in the 'Scrooge' broadcast must wear?

Frank demands antlers on the mice for the live 'Scrooge' broadcast, suggesting they be stapled on when the handler objects.

What is the name of the homeless shelter Claire runs?

Claire runs Operation Reach Out, the Manhattan shelter where Frank sneers at Herman and the other homeless guests.

For which award was Scrooged nominated at the 61st Academy Awards?

Scrooged's only Oscar nomination was for Best Makeup, for Thomas R. Burman and Bari Dreiband-Burman's work, including Lew Hayward's rotting corpse.

Which film beat Scrooged to the Oscar it was nominated for?

Beetlejuice, Tim Burton's ghost comedy, beat Scrooged to the Oscar; both 1988 films leaned heavily on prosthetic effects.

Which studio released Scrooged on November 23, 1988?

Paramount Pictures released Scrooged on 23 November 1988, the day before Thanksgiving, and it topped that holiday weekend's box office.

How much did Scrooged gross worldwide?

Scrooged grossed about $100 million worldwide, roughly $60 million of it in the United States and the rest overseas.

Which composer wrote the score for Scrooged?

Danny Elfman scored Scrooged during a prolific 1988 that also brought his scores for Midnight Run and Big Top Pee-wee.

Which famous New York skyscraper stood in for the exterior of IBC's headquarters?

The Seagram Building, Mies van der Rohe's Park Avenue tower, stood in for IBC's exterior; almost everything else was shot on Hollywood sets.

What rating did Scrooged receive from the MPAA?

Scrooged carries a PG-13 rating, with its profanity and the ghosts' violence judged too strong for a plain PG.

Which film was Bill Murray's biggest box-office hit before Scrooged?

Ghostbusters (1984), Murray's biggest hit before Scrooged, was invoked by the new film's marketing, which pitched him back among the ghosts.

Which critic called Scrooged one of the most 'disquieting, unsettling films' in some time?

Roger Ebert found Scrooged 'disquieting' and 'unsettling', seeing more pain and anger than comedy and a Murray who looked genuinely unhappy.

Which crooner appears as himself fronting a 'Cajun Christmas' special in IBC's parody lineup?

Robert Goulet appears as himself in 'Robert Goulet's Old-Fashioned Cajun Christmas', one of the fake IBC promos that open the film.

Which veteran actor appears as himself in the 'Scrooge' broadcast, in one of his final roles?

John Houseman appears as himself in the network's live 'Scrooge' broadcast; he died in October 1988, a month before the film opened.

Who plays Brice Cummings, the executive assigned to 'help' Frank at IBC?

John Glover plays Brice Cummings, the smarmy rival executive whom Frank gets out of the way to hijack the live broadcast.

The failure of which 1984 film preceded Bill Murray's long break from leading roles?

The Razor's Edge, Murray's earnest adaptation of Somerset Maugham's novel, flopped in 1984 and sent him into a long retreat from starring roles.

Which M*A*S*H star plays Jacob Marley in the live broadcast within the film?

Jamie Farr, M*A*S*H's Klinger, plays Jacob Marley in the live 'Scrooge' broadcast within the film.

How much did Scrooged take over its Thanksgiving-extended opening weekend in the US?

Scrooged took $18.6 million over the five-day Thanksgiving frame, topping The Land Before Time and Oliver & Company.

Where did Scrooged's US gross of just over $60m place it among the films of 1988?

Scrooged's roughly $60 million US gross placed it 13th among the films of 1988, just behind A Fish Called Wanda.

What was the punning name of the 2006 special-edition DVD that was promoted but never released?

The 'Yule Love It!' edition, promised for 2006 with a director's commentary and featurettes, never reached shelves.